The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D has been spotted in a benchmark leak, marking the first time the much-anticipated chip has appeared in the world of being tested. 16-core flagship Gaming CPU The AMD Zen 5 Ryzen series is expected to offer similar specs to the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, but with slightly improved performance across the board.
Our AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review showed that the chip is the absolute best gaming CPU out there, so we have good reason to be interested in the performance of a 16-core chip based on AMD’s latest technology. Previous 16-core X3D variants such as the 7950X3D and 5950X3D were not as fast for gaming due to the way the X3D cache was configured. However, there is speculation that the new 16-core chip may use a different X3D configuration, which may impair its gaming performance.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D leaked benchmarks from Factorio game, which result Shown on the FactorioBox benchmark website. It clearly shows the full name of the processor used for the top-scoring benchmarks, but doesn’t list the chip’s other specifications, so we can’t confirm the amount of L3 cache or the chip’s clock speed.
Clicking through the benchmark results shows that the test was run using a slightly ridiculous 256GB of 6,000MT/s RAMm, and on a 64-bit version of Windows via Steam. But beyond that, no details about the system were provided.
As for the benchmark results themselves, the 9950X3D does top the list, closely followed by the likes of the 9800X3D and 14900K. However, this benchmark also puts the 5800X3D ahead of any other Intel chip, so it clearly has strong AMD X3D leanings. Additionally, the benchmark does note at the top of its page, “Results vary based on CPU clock, memory clock, memory timing, etc., so take these numbers with a grain of salt.”
Ultimately, the performance suggested here isn’t particularly relevant. Revealing the chip’s full name is a big deal, however, and it’s the first time we’ve seen it in benchmarks.
As for what else we can expect from this chip, it will almost certainly use the Zen 5 architecture like other 9000 series CPUs, and we can expect it to use the new second-generation version of 3D V-Cache, which has the cache located on the CPU Below the core chip, rather than above the CPU core chip like earlier versions of 3D V-Cache. This change allows the 9800X3D to run at higher clock speeds than the 7800X3D and also unlocks the 9950X3D’s performance potential.
If that’s all the difference in the 9950X3D’s cache, then it’s unlikely to outperform the 9800X3D in gaming performance. This is because the 16-core X3D chip uses two CPU core chips, but only stacks the additional 3D V-Cache chip on one of the CPU core chips. This means that eight of the cores cannot access the 64MB 3D V cache quickly, and there may be latency issues when data is passed from one CPU core chip to another.
More performance could be unlocked if the 9950X3D used two 3D V-Cache chips, or had a single chip somehow better shared between all 16 cores. However, this is all just speculation at the moment.
AMD is rumored to launch the 9950X3D and possibly even a six-core 9650X3D at the CES trade show in January 2025, so we’ll know for sure soon. For now, though, the 9800X3D is still the top CPU out there, and even if the 9950X3D does edge it slightly ahead of it in overall performance, it’ll probably still be the top choice.
But while we wait to find out what exactly the 9950X3D brings us, why not check out our Intel Core Ultra 265K review to see how Intel’s latest gaming CPU compares to the competition?